The new reference class: this digital all-rounder has the stuff to give the upper class a run for its money. It comes from Shenzhen, doesn’t cost the earth – and shows it in a new light.
As a journalist, you approach the subject of your report with fundamental skepticism, relentlessly scrutinizing and maintaining a minimum distance that should never be undercut. An audio component reviewer is never allowed to make common cause with a device, no matter how good it is, that is the iron rule. So: What will we be reviewing today? A streamer? A DAC? A digital audio player, a streaming bridge, a filter bank, a preamp? Precisely: all of the above. It’s the Eversolo DMP-A8, one of those music playback computers that can do it all. And before a single note has been played, it already sets off all the alarm bells: in the end, a jack of all trades is going to be a master of none. The DMP-A8 costs around 2,000 euros; if you were to replicate the range of functions with a setup composed of specialized separates, you would have to spend several times that amount. So skepticism seems appropriate. Spoiler alert: The new flagship from Eversolo destroys the competition – in its own price bracket, but also a quite a few contestants from completely different leagues.
This was not entirely unexpected, as while Eversolo may not yet be a manufacturer with too much of a tradition behind it, it has recently garnered quite the hype with its predecessor, the DMP-A6, especially in the upgraded “Master Edition”. Behind the brand is the manufacturer Zidoo from Shenzhen, China, which has been producing Android players in multi-core architectures for home cinema for ten years. The development staff there have presumably been through many a codec hell, so the world of audio should be something of a walk in the park by comparison. An Android workaround that lets you also use Apple Music via an app to be installed on the device is easy to write. With Eversolo, the company has now marked out territory in the audio market – and their commitment is very real, as the A8 is quite the statement.
China has already understood that cardboard for the outer packaging is a decisive quality criterion for European customers. The corrugated cardboard contains a neat little black box. However, the packaging inlays that secure the A8 against slipping cannot hide their provenance: they are pure plastic.
There is not much to admire about the component itself: there are cooling fins integrated quite elegantly into the side of the housing, and there are sufficient connections at the rear: Digital in is optical (2 x) or coaxial (2 x), digital out is optical, coaxial, via USB. A DAC with a corresponding input can be connected via an I2S connection, while an HDMI ARC input also allows an audiovisual source to be connected. The analog inputs and outputs are each implemented as XLR and RCA. Three stub antennas connect the A8 to the home network or Bluetooth devices, LAN is available via an RJ45 socket. There is an SSD slot on the underside of the device that can accommodate cards with up to four terabytes.
Christoph Zingel from audioNEXT sales has a device with a glass cover. He summarizes what he sees there as a “sophisticated circuit design”: “The converters are at the very top of the range, from the volume control to the power supply, no expense has been spared.” And so an ARM Cortex-A55 Quad Core calculates and calculates and calculates, with four gigabytes of DDR4 RAM and 32 gigabytes of eMMC flash (which should be enough). On the converter side, ICs from the Japanese manufacturer AKM do their work. The AK4499EX and AK4191EQ chips, marketed under the name “Velvet Sound|VERITA”, are designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the analog output. The AK4191EQ completely separates the analog and digital parts of the clocking, while the AK4191EX is responsible for the digital part and has a built-in filter. AKM DACs are considered to be – forgive the expression – somewhat “warmer” than ESS converters, for example. Power is supplied separately for the system and the audio circuit. A switching power supply feeds the computing technology, while a multi-wound toroidal transformer supplies the analog circuits.
Once boot-up done, finding your way around may take a little: A series of icons appear on the touchscreen display, allowing you to select between “Music” or “Streaming”. There is also access to the file manager, the sources and a whole range of settings that can be used to manage the device, set screensavers and perform more complicated operations such as file transfer between devices.
The access options for DSP configuration, EQ profiles and any connected CD drive are shown on a smaller scale. All operations can also be carried out via the app, which is easier. However, adjusting 15-band graphic EQs from 25 hertz to 16 kilohertz on touchscreens will always be something for the solitary moments in life.
That said, the Eversolo DMP-A8 can be set up for normal operation quite quickly (which is certainly recommended in view of the possibilities of fiddling around with the compressor, loudness and delay). And then there is really only sound. And the sound is sensational, so sensational in fact that you can really go on an audiophile voyage of discovery with the A8.
For example, it can help solve one of the greatest musical mysteries: For much of the world’s population, the appeal of Taylor Swift’s productions is intuitively accessible as a “no brainer”. Listeners who know that there is a certain difference between, say, Monteverdi and Duke Ellington, on the other hand, find it rather difficult. Let’s listen to the album Midnights, released in 2022. Everything is full of reverb, Jack Antonoff’s production sounds completely “wet”.
A good reason to listen to the six filters from “Sharp Roll-of” to “Low Dispersion Short Delay”: Indeed, there are surprisingly quite perceptible differences in how the A8 handles the reverb tails. Behind the main reverb on the vocals of “Anti-Hero”, new spaces are constantly opening and closing, the breathing noises are sprayed into a rhythmically precise squeak due to the exuberant brightness. Layers are used here rather than reverb: It is teeming with vocoders, formant shifters, vocal synthesizers and all sorts of other plug-ins that modern DAWs have on offer. What you can also hear is that the producer works largely with mix automations, which are often not regular, but are drawn freehand with the mouse. The path is always different, the result always the same: the impression of spatiality, even if the actual effect is not a reverb.
After a generally Christmassy listening impression, you feel an urgent desire to listen to the new Eminem album, which is an easy exercise for the A8 – the sound is neatly sorted and rather spartan. The most interesting thing is the bass: although the kick drums are mixed such that they can also be heard well on smartphones, they actually reach down into the low bass. Now, the A8 is by no means restrained in its bass reproduction; in fact, all frequency ranges appear slightly colored. But how controlled, how fast, how clean! This may not quite correspond to a linear sound ideal, but the A8 always throws a huge stage – and is able to illuminate every angle. This is also evident in a more classic task: Water Falls by Sara K. The spatial resolution of the street scene recorded with an artificial head, including the accordion, is enormously vivid, the very decisive reverb on “Running Away From You” is really a reverb and extremely expensive. The A8 stages the playing noises of the acoustic as a close-up, the bass accompaniment is powerful and always controlled, the lower mids are finely resolved – even on recordings that are challenging in this respect.
The Eversolo DMP-A8 is a serious audiophile component that has what it takes to become a reference. Die-hard high-end enthusiasts who already have everything may opt for something else. For everyone else, we recommend buying one – and we do so urgently.
Accompanying Equipment
CD player: Creek Evo 2 | Network player/DAC: Cambridge Audio CXN, TEAC UD-701N | Amplifier: Creek Evo IA | Speakers: Neat Momentum 4i, Bryston Mini A, Focal Alpha 80
Network player/DAC Eversolo DMP-A8
Operating principle: fully balanced D/A converter (32-bit Hyperstream II) | Digital inputs: 2 x coaxial, 2 x optical, Bluetooth, SPDIF coaxial and optical (up to 24 bit/192 kHz, DoP64), HDMI ARC, Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45), USB B, USB A, WiFi (2.4 and 5 GHz) | Analog inputs: 1 x XLR, 1 x RCA | Digital outputs: Bluetooth 5. 0 (SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX HD/LDAC), SPDIF coaxial and optical (up to 24 bit/192 kHz, DoP64), I2S via HDMI (up to DSD512, PCM 32 bit/768 kHz, USB) | Analog outputs: XLR, RCA | Digital formats: 768 kHz and DSD512 via USB, 24 bit/192 kHz via S/PDIF; max. 32 bit/384 kHz DSD512 via network | Special features: Touchscreen display (6″) with various meter and audio spectrum displays, 6 digital filters | Finish: Black | Dimensions (W/H/D): 39/9/25 cm | Weight: 5 kg | Warranty period: 2 years | Price: around € 2000
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